Cyclopean Spolia
From Concrete Waste To Load-Bearing Precast Walls
M.F.V.M. von Kardorff (TU Delft - Architecture and the Built Environment)
Olga Ioannou – Mentor (TU Delft - Building Design & Technology)
Branko Savija – Mentor (TU Delft - Materials and Environment)
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Abstract
While the construction industry searches for alternatives to concrete due to its high carbon footprint, its demolition waste is currently either downcycled or landfilled. This thesis presents a scalable method for reclaiming large concrete rubble fragments as structural, load-bearing precast walls. A horizontal prefabrication workflow was designed that not only produces airtight, load-bearing walls from reclaimed concrete waste but also enables new possibilities for architectural expression. Using a computational design workflow, the structural performance of multiple rubble arrangements was investigated at a 1:10 scale. Furthermore, a wall system was designed to explore future applications of load-bearing rubble elements and integrate them into established production methods. Through an environmental analysis focusing on waste reduction, circularity, and a cradle-to-gate study, a 50% reduction in embodied carbon compared to conventional precast walls was demonstrated. Overall, the work showed that a prefabrication process has the potential to scale the use of concrete waste as a load-bearing element and produce prefabricated walls with integrated concrete waste.